Franopolis
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    Franchise opportunities compared

    1-800-Plumber vs Roto-Rooter

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    1-800-Plumber2026 FDDRoto-Rooter2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    1-800-Plumber

    $179,210 – $483,800

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Roto-Rooter

    $123,110 – $281,550

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    1-800-Plumber

    $56,500

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    1-800-Plumber

    Not available

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • 1-800-Plumber discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only 1-800-Plumber has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    1-800-Plumber

    $179,210 – $483,800
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Roto-Rooter

    $123,110 – $281,550
    Total Estimated Initial Investment
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    1-800-Plumber

    $56,500
    Applies to a Service Area containing a population of up to 350,000.
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    1-800-Plumber

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    1-800-Plumber

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    1-800-Plumber

    61
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 56

    Roto-Rooter

    448
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 40
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    1-800-Plumber

    +13
    Calculated: 48 at end of 2023 → 61 at end of 2025

    Roto-Rooter

    −10
    Calculated: 458 at end of 2023 → 448 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    1-800-Plumber

    11
    Closures, terminations & non-renewals in 2024 · Calculated turnover 22.9% of outlets at start of year
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 56

    Roto-Rooter

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    1-800-Plumber

    January 2017
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 11

    Roto-Rooter

    1936
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    1-800-Plumber

    2015
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8

    Roto-Rooter

    1935
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    1-800-Plumber
    Franchised and company-owned (5 locations) — revenue
    $3,782,882
    mean Top Tier Average Annual Revenue
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 50
    Franchised and company-owned (11 locations) — revenue
    $166,015
    mean Lower Tier Average Annual Revenue
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52
    Franchised and company-owned (10 locations) — revenue
    $661,244
    mean Middle Tier Average Annual Revenue
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 51
    +1 more groups in the full report
    Roto-Rooter

    Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    1-800-Plumber vs Roto-Rooter: common questions

    Which costs less to open, 1-800-Plumber or Roto-Rooter?
    1-800-Plumber: $179,210 – $483,800 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Roto-Rooter: $123,110 – $281,550 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Roto-Rooter. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, 1-800-Plumber or Roto-Rooter?
    1-800-Plumber: 61 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 56); Roto-Rooter: 448 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 40). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do 1-800-Plumber and Roto-Rooter disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    1-800-Plumber has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 location groups; Roto-Rooter makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full 1-800-Plumber report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Roto-Rooter report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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